


The Search for Super Mario

by orphan_account



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Adventure, Family, Friendship, Fun, Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 23:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13962645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What happens to Mario after a game over? Why does Bowser always fail at killing Mario? How do the Nintendo characters all know each other?For the koopas, the routine is simple, kidnap the princess and stop Mario, but what happens when they lose Mario?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All characters and worlds belong to Nintendo and their respective companies.

Nintendo Fan Story:

Chapter One: Game Over, Mario! 

Mario stood on the ledge sweating. His shaky hands were already starting to blister from the steam from the hot lava bath in Bowser's castle.

 _If I make the wrong move, I'm toast._ Mario thought. Cautiously, he ran forward to make a jump. Out of nowhere, a fireball shot out and started burning his clothes. Mario ran around, yelling in a frantic panic. He forgot about the lava below the platform and slipped. Luckily, he was able to catch the platform before falling in.

"Whoa!" Mario yelled.

 _I have to be careful. If I make one false move, I'm done for_. Mario winced as he felt the steam searing the flesh on his neck.

Just then, he felt a painful crushing pressure on his hand, followed by a loud crunch.

_Oh no. I can't hold on. I'm in so much pain._

Above, Mario could hear the laughter of a few over-sized goombas. 

Suddenly, the pressure on his hand released. Mario felt himself fall backwards; he let out a howl as he free fell into fires of the molten death below.

All at once, fire was everywhere, then unbearable pain, and then nothing.

Mario woke up in a world of mostly gray.

 _Where am I?_ Mario wondered.

 _Don't be afraid._ A voice seemed to say.

Mario looked around the hazy room. There was no color. A few boos and other obstacles were guarding a whitish warp pipe.

 _Go to the pipe._ The thoughts said.

 _I remember this dream._ Mario thought.

Mario pulled himself up and ran toward the bridge. A boo woke up and gave chase. Mario turned around and scowled at it.

"Go scare somebody else!" Mario yelled.

The little ghost-like creature blushed and ran away, leaving a blue coin in its place.

 _Don't collect it._ The thought warned.

 _I wasn't planning to._ Mario responded.

_Hurry, before the window closes!_

_I'm going._

Mario leaped to the bridge and made his way to the warp pipe. He crouched into it and held his nose.

"Here we go!" Mario yelled.

Mario immediately felt himself being sucked through what seemed like a cross between a child's fun slide and kaleidoscope. Rings of black, white, and gray pulsed before his eyes, and finally a blinding white light came into view. Mario felt light as a feather ; he opened his eyes to chirping birds, flitting butterflies, and green grass. In the distance, there was something he couldn't quite make out, a pile of shapeless red and blue. It looked kind of like a body, but he didn't want to dwell on that thought for long.

As he continued to float, he saw himself getting closer and closer to the pile on the ground. It did look like a body, a terribly mangled body.

_Is that...me?_

_Oh no. I know what happens next. Why do I keep having this nightmare?_

Mario turned around to keep himself from seeing what he was being sucked towards, but before he did, he caught a glimpse of the charred skeleton lightly draped in charred meat and melted clothing.

Mario tried to fight the force that was sucking him toward the body, but it was too strong for him. The more he fought, the weaker he got, until he finally sighed and stopped fighting. He let out one weak gasp as he was pulled to the corpse.

He felt himself settle in with a thud. Suddenly, all sensation came back, and his body again felt like it was on fire.

Mario woke up and found himself covered in dirt. He expected himself to be dead, or near it, and quickly inspected his body. Nothing, but for some reason, his skin was still stinging from the graphic sight he witnessed.

_It was just a dream?_

Somewhere, he swore he could hear Koopa's maniacal laughter.

\----------

"Bwa ha ha ha ha !"

"Now, that, was too close for comfort!"

"To be honest, I thought he would last longer than that. I think he's losing his touch."

"Does he suspect that anything strange happened?"

"Not a clue; he just thinks he's had a really bad dream."

"Oh if he only knew the whole story, right king dad?"

"He thinks this is a battle of life and death, but in reality it's just one of our little games!" 

"ha ha ha ! I would like to see the look on his face if he ever figured it out."

"...but he must never find out! To do so would be to put our whole existence as we know it in jeopardy!"

"Hey, easy with the wand, pops, I know, I know! But, hey, a guy can dream, can't he?"


	2. Koopa Hierarchy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Mario tries to figure out if he's dead or alive, the koopalings have another matter to attend to.

Mario stood up, rubbing his head.

"Where am I?"

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty is waking up!"

"Watch him; I'm going to go attend to more important matters."

Without another word, one of the spiked shelled creatures with puffy blue hair pulled out a microphone and gently whispered into it.

_You're back in the Forest of Illusion, Mario._

_The Forest of Illusion? Oh no! I got passed this area hours ago! I was at Bowser's castle. I was so close I could smell the smoke._

_I'm afraid your mind was only playing tricks on you._

_Tricks? How?_

The spiny shelled koopaling could barely contain himself and almost laughed out loud into the microphone. 

Mario imagined the sound of giggling. 

_Hey? Are you laughing at me?_

_No, it must be...tee-hee...your imagination._

_What's so funny?_

_I don't know. This is just your imagination, isn't it?_

_It sure is loud and obnoxious for my imagination._

_Hey! Who are you calling loud and obnoxious?_

Mario thought about the ridiculous conversation he was having with himself and laughed out loud. 

_I'm sometimes worse than Luigi here._

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_Forget it; we've...I mean I...I've got a princess to rescue!_

_That's the attitude. You remember the path you took, don't you?_

_I think so._

_Check the map._

_Good idea._

The koopaling put the microphone down and burst out laughing. 

"Talk about the cat guarding the canary!" 

"Kooky, cut it out and give me a hand with this. You and king dad both should know that Mario can take care of himself," a koopa with brown flesh and a pink shell with white spikes said. 

"The name is Ludwig Von Koopa, Kootie Pie, and I know; he can take care of himself and us, like he's done many times, no matter how fool-proof the trap or elaborate the scheme." 

"Well, if you're going to be formal, just call me Wendy."

"I'll call you whatever I want!" 

The two koopas locked arms and growled at each other. 

"Hey, cut it out, you two!" another koopa with similar coloring as Wendy yelled. 

Roy took his muscular scaly arms, pried the two apart, and held them up in the air. 

"Oh, hi Bully." 

"...or would you prefer to be called Roy?" 

"Hey! Don't mention my real name in public; is that understood?" 

Roy put them on the ground and lowered his voice to a whisper. 

"Besides, why are you two making all of this commotion? Do you want that little pile of scales to sic Koopa on us?" 

"Koopa? Do you mean king dad?" Kootie Pie and Kooky asked in unison.

"You know that he doesn't like being called that since that pipsqueak showed up." 

"I mean, king dad's done some horrible things to other people, but you don't think he would do anything to us, do you? He's raised us like his own children. In fact, we thought we were his own children for years." 

"Yeah, and he's also made us put our lives in danger, multiple times. Wake up. He doesn't love us anymore. How many times has he subjected his precious Bowser Junior to the routine tortures and humiliations we've been subjected to?" 

"Relax, Bully, I think king dad realizes that making us do something we don't want to do would be hazardous to his health, if you get my meaning." 

"Besides, we're still a family, sort of." 

"Bully! Kooky! Wendy! Keep it down, I'm trying to watch TV!" 

The three koopalings rolled their eyes when they heard that voice. 

"...and while you're at it, get me some ice cream! Don't make me tell daddy on you." 

Kooky looked at Bully. 

"This has to stop. There must be a way to put that brat back in his place!" 

"If we hurt the kid, though, or just don't answer his every whim in time, it won't be pretty. Trust me; it won't be pretty," Bully warned. 

Wendy pushed them both out of the way. 

"Ah, I think you're worried about nothing. King dad hasn't treated us any worse than usual, even with junior around."

"You want a bet?" Bully asked. 

Bully gave a labored sigh. 

"You're all still children; you don't know what it's like for the older koopalings. Koopa's forgotten all about us. I had to clean out my room to give it to that brat. Now, I'm just a Bowser employee. We're all just employees." 

"Nonsense. King dad would do as much for us as he would for BJ, no doubt." 

"I wouldn't bet on it, and, in case you feel like being turned into a goomba, I would suggest you not ask him for any extravagant favors, like we did in the past, and trust me, you do NOT want to be a goomba!" 

"I...I'm sure it was a mistake...you know that magic wand malfunctions sometimes.." 

Bully just looked at the two koopalings. 

"Look, if you're worried. We'll talk to him for you. He's always liked us." 

"You'd do that for me?" 

"Sure, what are siblings for, old pal?"

The three koopalings hugged, but their emotional moment was cut short by a loud scream.  

"ICE CREAM NOW!" 

Wendy got a bowl of ready-made ice cream out of the freezer and gave it to Roy. 

"I think someone needs you," Wendy said. 

"Coming, sheesh!" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. chapter 3

"Whoa!" Mario yelled as he grabbed on to another ledge.

_That's it. Climb up. Don't fall. Look at how far you've come, Mario._

The koopalings were taking shifts coaching Mario away from their hideout. It was Wendy's turn. Ludwig had gone "home" for the night, and Roy was still busy with Bowser Junior.

Wendy led him all the way into Little Big Town, past some kind of jungle bridge. Mario was climbing on it like a monkey, and she wanted to admit that she was kind of impressed by the chubby looking man's athleticism. 

Mario dove and grabbed hold of a monkey. 

_Good. Now take that monkey all the way up the mountain._

_I don't remember doing this..._

_Just do it._

_Okay._

_And try to collect all of those red coins!_

_Okay...sheesh, why do you have to be so demanding?_

_Stop asking questions and do it!_

Wendy sighed into the microphone. Just then, there was a knock on the door. 

"Come in." 

"Hi," two voices said in unison. 

The figures of two small koopas, a few inches taller than Bowser Junior, stood in the doorway. 

"Hip, Hop, what brings you out tonight, aren't you still staying at the castle?" 

"Aren't you going to call us Lemmy and Iggy? There's no use for nicknames when you don't belong anywhere anymore." 

"Didn't you hear the news? Dad wants us out," the smallest of the pair said as tears flooded his thick rimmed glasses. 

"Oh, stop it. Did he tell you that?" 

"No...no...our big brother Larry did," the other koopa said. 

"Oh? He did, did he?" 

The pair of koopas silently nodded in unison. 

 _"_ Wait till I get my hands on that lying, cheating, no good, little Cheatsy Koopa! _"_ Wendy declared while still holding the microphone. 

 

__________________________________________

Mario shivered. 

_I remember Larry. Is he around here?_

_Sorry, this conversation doesn't concern you._

_What?_

_Sit down under that tree._

_What? There are a bunch of giant caterpillars under that tree!_

_Just do it!_

_Okay._

____________________________________________

The two koopas sobbed into Wendy's chest. 

"It's okay. Dry those tears. Hey! I said dry up!" 

Her shrill voice brought the two koopas to attention. They stopped crying. This was the Wendy Koopa they were used to, mean, demanding, and no nonsense. 

"I do have my own life now, outside of watching the castle for dad every now and then, but I'll talk to him tomorrow and find out what all of this is really about. In the meantime, I suppose you two could stay with me, but no funny business, got it?" 

Hip and Hop jumped for joy. 

"You may need blankets, though. The ice palace is cold in winter." 

"Oh, don't worry; we know how to keep the place VERY warm." 

"No, lava, and that's an order." 

The two koopas groaned, put their heads down, and walked away. 

______________________________________________

Wendy turned and again heard the sound of sobbing. 

It was Mario. She stifled a giggle. 

_Why are you crying?_

_"_ I'm a tired." 

_I don't know where to go, and I'm about to a get a eaten by a giant caterpillars!_

_Too bad!_

_What? You can't just leave me here!_

_Yes I can!_

_But you won't, will you?_

_________________________________________________

Mario's usual "gut feelings" had been playing tricks on him for several days. He was wandering around in circles. The places that just felt right weren't right at all. It felt like he couldn't trust his own judgement. It felt like someone else was in charge, maybe even someone who didn't have his best interests at heart. 

_This is the same tree I passed two miles ago. That box contains poison mushrooms. If I go past that corner, I'll run into quicksand._

_You know, what ever made me stop being a plumber, or a simple grocery store clerk? I didn't have to worry about constantly running into death traps. I always knew where my next meal was coming from, and I might not have been a hero, but the problems in my life made sense. Here, nothing makes sense, it's like one giant acid trip, complete with mushrooms, ghosts, mythical creatures, fire-breathing dragon turtles, and dance parties? I fall to my death on a high ledge; I'm okay the next day. Tell me, what is that? I miss Brooklyn. I miss the real world. I miss sanity._

_I haven't eaten in days. What I wouldn't give for a big bowl of spaghetti, or even a bowl of that rabbit food the princess always tries to feed me. The princess, like I would ever have a chance with her. I may be her helpful knight, but, let's face it, that's all. If I had never come to the mushroom kingdom, I could have had a real wife, maybe even a few kids. I wouldn't be stuck as the errand boy; the guy people call to slay the dragon, really, and what do I get for it? A peck on the cheek and a cake, most of the time. It's not like the princess is really interested in me._

_Why am I so special anyway? Couldn't another citizen take my job and do it just as well? Why couldn't Yoshi or Toad do this job? Now, Yoshi, there's a powerhouse. I wish I could find one of those out here. He eats everything in sight. I wouldn't be stuck in this tree, hiding from these caterpillars if Yoshi were around._

Mario sighed.  _Getting lost out here has given me too much time to think. Hopefully I'll feel better at all of this in the morning._

No one was watching the screen, and Mario, without anyone to guide him, fell asleep. 

While Mario was sleeping, a rogue hammer brother flew by and conked him on the head with a hammer. Mario lost his balance and fell, hard. He heard a loud crack. The screen showed black with just a few splotches of red on his life meter. Mario groaned wearily and fainted while a caterpillar finished him off with a hard bite to the neck. 

Mario's vision faded to black, but there was something wrong. 

_Why didn't I hear maniacal laughter or see Bowser's face flash before my eyes like normal?_

_Here's that strange dream again._

Mario walked through the gray scenery. It was like any other day in the courtyard, except everything was in gray scale, and there were boos. It was a little eerie, especially without those usual thoughts to guide him. Also, there was something missing. 

_Where's the white warp pipe?_

The courtyard looked like it was covered with a gray sort of snow. Mario did the only logical thing he could think of. 

"I'm a tired." 

Mario yawned and fell asleep. 

Suddenly, he felt a cold tap on his shoulder. 

"You can't sleep here, friend." 

Mario awoke with a start. It was a boo! 

The red clad plumber stared it in the eye. 

"What do you want?" 

The boo hid its face and faded away to reveal a blue coin. 

_I wonder what will happen if I touch the coin this time. If this is just a dream, it shouldn't really make a difference. I'm not afraid of fake ghosts._

Mario reached out toward the coin. He felt his hand go through some kind of cold substance. 

_This feels weird._

For just a second, Mario looked away while he was retrieving the coin. When he looked back again, he was floating. 

_Oh no! It swallowed me!_

"Hee hee hee! You fell for the old coin in the spook trick!" 

Mario's transportation was picking up pace, faster and faster they flew until everything below them was just a mixture of gray blur. Mario was terrified; he would have held on to something but there was nothing to hold on to, and during the rare moments they did slow down, he wished they hadn't. Those surroundings started looking eerier. He could forgive the gray snow; it looked natural enough, but it was strangely silent and even the evergreen trees were dead. Plus, it kept getting darker and darker. 

"Where...where are you taking me?" 

"That's for me to know and for you to never know...ha ha ha ha!" 

The air was getting thin. Mario didn't think it was possible, as he thought this was only a dream, but he started having trouble breathing and started getting dizzy. 

"Whoa..." Mario groaned. 

Mario again faded out and fainted. 

_____________________________________________

 

An alarm went off at Wendy's post. 

"Just five more minutes..." 

Wendy curled up under her covers only to have them forcibly yanked off of her. 

"Hey, what's the big..." 

She was stopped mid-sentence as her eyes met the dangerous scowl of Koopa's. 

"Good...morning, king dad?" Wendy asked. 

"Where's Mario?" Bowser demanded. 

Wendy yawned. 

"I left him at Wiggler's house." 

"Check the monitor," Bowser's dangerous voice demanded. 

Wendy got out of bed and wandered over to the monitor. She found Mario floating through the dark void of space. 

"Oh, there's Mario right there." 

"Kootie Pie, you nincompoop. Mario isn't at Wiggler's house; he's in space, and not even our space; he's in the bridgeworld!" 

"That's not where I left him." 

"Do you realize what could go wrong? He could make it to Star Road, and if he makes it to Star Road, he could transport himself right here, game over for us, and that's the best case scenario. Where Mario is going, there are warp zones to every place in the many worlds that I've explored. He could end up in any place in time or space, and all he has to do is crawl into a pipe or spin on a star." 

"I guess I should quit while I'm ahead, but what's the worst that could happen?" 

"I don't even want to think about it. Mario could warp to a place where we'll never be able to find him." 

"How is that a bad thing?" 

"Princess Toadstool will never speak to me again!" 

"Again with the princess..." 

Bowser turned to Wendy flashing fire red eyes. Small flames smoldered from inside of his flared nostrils.

"Find Mario or else!" Bowser demanded as he aimed for the kitchen table and burned it to ash. 

"Why can't I breathe fire?" 

"At this point, I think you should consider yourself lucky you can still breathe." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Where could I send Mario? Any suggestions? Leave them in the comments.


End file.
